Moss-harrow.



' No. 724,596. PATENTED, APR. 7, 1903.

' W. MATOUOH.

MOSS HARROW. APPLIOATION FILED JULY 13, 1901.

N0 MODEL.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- Km 724,596..' 'PATENTED APR. 7', 1903.

' ..'MAT0U0 1.

7 oss HARROW. LPPIBIOATIQN FILED JULY 13, 1901.

n szmmbsnnm 2.

' no roman.

No., WASHINGYON UNITED STATES IVENZEL MATOUCH,

" PATENT OFFICE.

or PILICA, RUSSIA.

Moss- AReow.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 724,596, dated April '7, 1903.

Application filed Jhly 18, 1901.

' T ttZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WENZEL MAToUcH, a subject of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, residing at Pilica, in the Province of Russian Poland, in the Empire of Russia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Moss-Harrows and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had, to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The subject of this invention is a harrow for removing moss from turf on meadows and elsewhere, in whichharrow there is a con-- tinual cleansing of the tools the work.

My improved moss-barrow has a number of bars movable about-a horizontal axis. The ends of these bars, which extend downward and come into engagement with the ground, are made sickle or hook shaped and are provided with a sharp edge or point. These bars are alternately raised and allowed to fall by cams on a rotating shaft, whereby they penetrate at their points into the uppermost layer of the ground and detach or remove the moss therefrom. The scraping off from the bars of the moss and other part-sof plants, earth, and the like torn loose for the purpose of cleaning the said bars is efiected during the work by a stationary rake or grating, in the spaces or slits of which the bars move up and down. v

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows a moss-barrow of this kind in side elevation. Fig. 2 shows'a part of the harrow in plan. Fig. 3 shows the arrangement for throwing the driving-chain or sprocket-wheel into and out of gear. I

The harrow consists of a rectangular'frame a, of wood or iron, which is mounted on four or, if desired, on three running-wheels. On the horizontal axis Z) are pivotally mounted a number of iron or steel bars 0, some of which are short and others long. These bars are made sickle or hook shaped at their downwardly-turned rear ends and are provided with a knife-like edge or a point in the form of a thorn. Each of these bars can be in use during Serial No. 68,186. (No model.)

made in one or more pieces. In the latter case the sickle or book shaped part of the bars can be detachably connected to the straight part. On the thickened or broadened front ends of the bars 0 act arms (1 on a cam-shaft e, the said arms being provided with rollers at their ends. The shaft 6 bears a gear-wheel f at each end, in which gearwheel engages a gear-wheel n, loosely mounted on a stud-shaft g. Each of these wheels can be connected by means of a claw-clutch h i, Fig. 3, to a chain-wheel j, which is driven from the rear running-wheel 7.0 by means of a chain-wheel Z and a chain 'm.

In order to throw the clutch members h 71 into and out of gear, Iemploy a lever 0, which is mounted on the frame a and engages with the clutch-sleeve Q1 and'a corresponding bellcrank lever p, which is mounted on the frame a and according to its position displaces the lever 0,and thus effects the throwingcinto or out of gear of the coupling member t', which is acted upon by a spring.

. The arms (1 lift in their rotation the rearward ends of the bars 0 and allow them to fall again on release. Preferably longer and shorter bars 0 are arranged alternately next to each other, and the arms (1, which are secured to the shaft 6 by set-screws, are so adjus'ted that the shorter'bars are always raised first and the longer bars afterward. The scraping or cleaning of the bars is effected by a wood or iron rake or grating g, which also serves as a guide for the bars. The said bars move in the spaces or slits of the rake or grating which scrapes off from the .barsthe torn-up adhering moss and other matter detached by the bars. In order to raise or throw the bars out of action, an unshipping-bar 'r is employed. This bar is suspended on both sides on-chains s, which are guided over rollers t to the eccentrics u. The

' saideccentrics are secured to a shaft 1), which bears a hand-leverw, capable of being secured by meansof a pawl to a toothed arc. The bell-crank levers p are connected by chains 00 with the chains 3 of the unshippingbar. When the lever to is moved backward, the bars 0 are raised by the unshipping-bar r, and the clutch members h v are simultaneously thrown out of gear, so that the shaft 6 ceases to turn.

I claim- 1. In a harrow, a suitable frame, a revoluble axle at one end thereof and wheels secured to said axle, a series of bars alternately long and short, each enlarged at one end, harrow-teeth on the opposite end of each bar, a rod on which all of said bars are pivoted, a cam-shaft driven from the revoluble axle, a series of cams on said shaft, each arranged to engage the enlarged end of a bar and scrapers below the frame on each side of a tooth arranged to remove adhering material when a tooth is lifted, substantially as de scribed.

2. In a harrow, a suitable frame, a revoluble axle at one end thereof and wheels secured to said axle, a series of bars alternately long and short, each flattened at one end and alined, a barrow-tooth on the other end of each bar making but a small angle to the surface of the ground, a rod on which all of said bars are pivoted, a cam-shaft, a clutch member driven from the revoluble axle, a complementary member carrying a pinion, said pinion arranged to drive the cam-shaft, a series of cams on said shaft, each engaging the flattened end of a bar and timed to lift the shorter bars before the longer ones, and independent hand-operated means to simultaneously lift all of the harrowteeth and disengage the clutch members, substantially as described. In testimony that I claim the foregoing as myinvention I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WENZEL MATOUCH. Witnesses:

J OSEF RUBRESCH, ALVESTO S. Hocun. 

